When I am photographing a white subject I am careful during the capture not to over–expose my whites. I do however want to properly expose for them. A big misconception in photography is that if the meter is to the right of the center mark than you are over-exposing. That is not necessarily true. The right exposure for the subject is the right exposure, no matter where the hash mark on the meter is.

On a sunny day I am very mindful of the shadows that can fall on my subject. This is the time that pointing your shadow at your subject is important. This will help decrease distracting shadow lines that can look like sharp edges, and FYI, they are virtually impossible to get rid of in post processing. I am also concerned about flashing highlights, and working in mixed lighting makes that even more difficult.

On cloudy days it is easier to photograph white subjects as the clouds will eliminate strong shadows and the chance of over-exposing is less. But this is when a lot of folks get into trouble. They grossly under-expose their whites and they will then appear very dingy. When bringing up those under-exposed whites in post processing there will be noise causing fine detail to be lost; especially since they will most likely be working with higher ISO’s. The combo of a high ISO setting and an under-exposed image can be the kiss of death.

No matter what the available lighting conditions, you will need to watch your histogram carefully and have your highlight alerts set to ON. Using both of these will help you keep your exposure in check. Remember, ETTR (expose to the right) making sure that you push your histogram all the way to the right without hitting the right wall. Well, almost to the wall as I back off of the right wall just a bit when working bright whites.

Next you will need to tweak your whites in post processing. I use Lightroom aka LR for most of my global tweaks. Once in LR, I go to the “Develop Module” and adjust the White Balance. To do so I go to the tiny drop down area that says “As Shot”, it is located next to the WB above the temp setting. I click on the dropdown arrow to reveal a selection of white balances. I am usually toggling between “Auto” and ‘As Shot”. This gives me a chance to evaluate the difference in color temps against each other which is a good way to spot a color cast. I then choose one of them and tweak it if needed. When working with whites your image can have all kinds of color casts; it can look blue, pink, beige or grey. You need to make sure that your whites are white.

Next I set my Black and White points by sliding both of them (white slider to the right and the black to the left) until they are near the edges of the histogram. You can hold down the Alt/Option key or enable the triangles at the top corners of the histogram to keep an eye out on when you have gone too far. Then I adjust the shadows and highlights a touch if needed.

Once I am done with my LR adjustments I bring my image into Photoshop for any selective tweaks I may want to do. The whites may also lack detail, I use detail extractor in Nik sometimes to bring out more detail and I apply it selectively. I will also use a contrast mask and/or curve adjustment. Every image is different but I will try a few before settling on one.

Many times during my workshops, the discussion of image critiques comes up. We discuss everyone’s thoughts and feelings and many times I hear how some people have not submitted images that they like, to their camera club because it is not an acceptable image for the club. They have even stopped taking those types of images because they are frowned upon. The thought of this makes me ill. I can’t imagine anyone not following through with their vision because someone else told them not to.

What is the value of an image critique? Critiques should be helpful, they should not be nit picking and they should be given gently. Critiques should offer ways to improve but not change the image content. They should be given only when asked and critiques should not carry the personal feeling of the person giving them. For example, if I don’t like the color red, I should not allow that feeling to interfere with my critique.

When are critiques helpful? For me, when someone is starting out with photography and they would like to learn the guidelines to understand what may be appealing to others; this is a good time to listen to critiques from photographers that are more experienced. When you are at the beginning stages in your photography; it is also a good time to try to critique other folks images, this will help you look at an image more carefully and allow you to see flaws within the image and decide for yourself if they negatively affect the photo. Critiquing should be a learning process on both ends. I spent years on an online forum listening to and giving critiques in an effort to learn. And I have learned a lot through that process, but most especially I have learned when to walk away from those type of forums.

When are critiques stifling? There comes a time when the artist/photographer no longer needs to learn those guidelines and would like to step outside of those lines to create something out of the ordinary. An artist can express whatever they like and there is no right or wrong, it is art and it is subjective…photography is art even if some don’t agree with that thought-it really is art.

Do I care about or listen to critiques? Absolutely not, it matters zero to me if someone likes or dislikes my photograph. My image or art needs to touch my soul and never needs to appeal to others. That said, yes, I want others to like my work and connect with it. But is not what guides me. If you follow guidelines to the nth degree then you will most likely never stand out from the crowd or create something unique. There are so many things to consider when creating an image, other than placing your subject in a rule of thirds, correct head angle or bright spots on the edges, etc.. For me, it is far more powerful to think about the flow of the image, the visual impact, the statement that the photo may convey, the connection between the subject and the viewer, the overall feel and artistry of the image.

Go out and create, worry not what others may think or say, be free to be yourself. There is only one you-show the world what you have…

The above image was created in Japan. It is snow drifting on reeds. It does not conform to many of the rules that some impose. However, it is in the final round of Wildlife Photographer of the Year. I suppose because it’s different.

On my recently concluded Norway Photo Tour my group and I had only photographed two photo sessions with the aurora, we were all hoping for one last chance. Then it happened, on our very last night in Norway, we were treated to our third photo session with the aurora. Our guides took us to a remote location that we had all to ourselves. The evergreens and mountain backdrop were exquisite to me. I love trees and snow so I was instantly happy, plus the aurora had already started illuminating the sky. The activity was not intense at first, which was fine, as we all had to get our compositions and focus worked out.

As soon as we had all gotten set up, it was as if mother nature knew and started the show. We were all gleefully jumping for joy when the first wave of beautiful colors danced across the sky. At one point we were turning around and photographing front and back every few minutes! It was magical. No it was epic!

Because the light was so bright and filled the sky I was able to reduce my ISO from 3200 to 1600. When photographing in conditions like this it is important to keep an eye on your histogram and evaluate the light so that you are not overexposing or underexposing the aurora.

If you don’t raise your ISO high enough and you let your shutter speed get really long, the stars can be blurry and the aurora may lack definition. If you underexpose your image with high ISO—I call that the kiss of death; when you bring up the light in post processing on a grossly underexposed image you will introduce a lot of noise. It is better to use a higher ISO in the field and nail the exposure (ETTR-expose to the right). It is also important to use manual focus. For an image like this, I start off with my settings: Manual mode, manual focus, ISO 3200, F/2.8, 8-10sec. exposure, 3200Kelvin, then make changes where needed depending on the light.

For the above image, I used my Canon 5D 4 and Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 III lens. I also brought my Sony ar7III with me to Norway but the buttons are very close together making it hard to fumble around in the dark with bulky gloves, so I used my Canon gear. Mostly because I needed to help others and would not have as much time to set up as I would have liked and I haven’t used my Sony gear that much. It is extremely important to know your gear very well when trying to photograph in the dark, especially with a group as you can not put on your headlamp or flashlight as often as you would like.

Sometimes, you will find that a vertical composition will work best with an aurora. It is good to have an “L” bracket on your camera so that you can easily switch from portrait mode to landscape mode depending on the shape of the aurora lights. I like to take a shot, look at it carefully on the back of my camera to check all corners of my composition making sure what I want to be in the shot is, and what I don’t want is not—like someone’s tripod legs or body.

My longtime friend and new client Jim Fennessy won an honorable mention awardfrom the National Wildlife Federation with the bear image (on the right below). He also has a different bear image (on the left below) featured as the cover photo for Wildlife Photographic, his article about his bear experience has also been published in that article. Huge congrats and so proud of my friend!!! Below in Jim’s words are how to access a free copy of his article ( I copied it from his Facebook page). To see more of his work, check out his new website.

Several of my other clients have won awards in this competition and other competitions, if you would like me to share your image and story and you were on one of my workshops when you captured the shot-I would be very pleased to share with my readers.

And now from Jim…

My Brown Bear image is the cover of this month's Wildlife Photographic Magazine ("WP"). My article on Coastal Brown Bear photography is also included, starting on page 14. This bear workshop was my introduction to real wildlife photography, and the workshop was as good as it gets. There is a link at the end of the article to this bear workshop, and other great workshops, from my workshop leaderDenise Ippolito. WP is published for viewing on an IPAD or Android tablet. Unfortunately, it only works on tablets, and cannot be downloaded to a PC. It will work on a mobile phone, but the articles read much better on a tablet. WP was generous enough to allow me to share my publication, and 3 months free membership to WP, with my friends. The publication is great, and I highly recommend it. To view my article and get this 3 month free subscription to WP for your IPAD or tablet, just follow these directions:Download Wildlife Photographic from the Apple App Store http://bit.ly/1aKP3qR or on Google Playhttp://bit.ly/1JOhMcW on your mobile device or tablet.

I am finishing up with my group in Norway. Our trip was based around aurora and snow covered mountains. We had only 2 shooting sessions with the aurora as weather would have it. Even though the trip was not filled with aurora skies, we did have some gorgeous landscapes and photo opportunities. We may have one more chance tonight…fingers crossed!

Our accomodations were small red cabins that had a central living room/kitchen combo with fireplace. Each bedroom had an ensuite bath. We had two drivers/guides with us at all times, and we travelled in two large vans. The roads here were icy and snowy and you had better be a good driver to attempt driving here as the roads are also very curvy and narrow.

We didn’t have a lot of dinner options as many of the restaurants close early due to lack of business. However, our lunches/brunches rocked; each one being unique and flavorful. We also did our share of shopping as most of the stores had beautiful woolen goods.

The temperatures here in Norway were always cold but most times they were bearable; with the exception of a few outings where we had bone chilling cold.

On our first morning we went to Hamnoy, Lofoten Islands to photograph in the pre-dawn so that we could capture the play on the blue tones and warm lights emitted from the small red houses in the iconic fishing village. We revisited it in hopes of a great sunrise.

We also photographed ice trimmed fjords and beaches as well as other small fishing villages. Our group was truly great, everyone got along beautifully and that made the trip even more fun. Below is a sampling of what we photographed during the tour.; for most of them I showed two versions from each location. I have many more images to sort through—just no time.

This is an older blog post that got deleted when I changed my blog out-I wanted to repost it, thanks.

I shoot in manual mode all of the time and mostespecially when shooting birds in flight. Why manual mode? Well, for me, I like to have complete control of my camera. I like to decide which of the factors I need to adjust to come up with the correct settings for any given situation. Understanding how to work in manual mode will help to make you a better photographer as you will learn intimately how ISO, shutter speed and aperture relate to each other and your exposure. Once I determine and set the right exposure for the bird I am photographing I can keep making properly exposed images no matter the background as long as the light does not change.

Comfort plays a big part on how well I’ll do in the field. Included in my comfort factors are my clothing: Do I have freedom of movement? Am I warm enough? Do my gloves interfere with my handling the camera and pressing the shutter button? These and a ton more of little factors add to my comfort.

My position: standing, kneeling, or sitting? It is much harder to capture a fast moving bird in flight from a kneeling position than it is from a standing position. You should stand fully erect and not bent over your tripod for flight photography. You will also need to level your tripod and make sure that your camera and lens are well balanced on your tripod. The goal is to have the weight on your head distributed so that once you have the tilt and pan mechanisms loosened it will stay balanced. Doing so will allow fluid movement in any direction. You will also need to have quick and easy access to your teleconverters. In the early morning when there are low light/low contrast conditions, I keep my teleconvertors in my pocket and not on my lens.

A sturdy tripod and gimbal head is a must. I use an Induro GIT304L Grand Series 3 Stealth Carbon Fiber Tripod with the Mongoose 4th Generation M-3.6 Action Head w/the Integrated Low Mount Arm.

I use AWB 100% of the time unless I want to mess with the color tones or if I notice the images are looking funky. I also use Evaluative metering almost all of the time. I always use AI Servo and rapid fire (High Speed Advance) when photographing birds in flight. I prefer not to use flash whenever possible, so no flash here. I also like to use a fast shutter speed when photographing birds in flight or wildlife in action; therefore my starting ISO when in those situations is ISO 400.

Let’s talk about shutter speed and how it relates to the snowflakes in the scene. I try to keep my shutter speeds between 1/800 sec. and 1/1600 sec. when it is snowing to capture the snow without any streaks. If you use a slower shutter speed (1/60) the snow would be rendered as streaks; that would be OK if that is what you wanted. I prefer my snow as dots. I suggest experimenting with your shutter speeds in the field to obtain the result you want.

It is important to understand how distance affects depth-of-field (d-o-f). If you are far from your subject using a telephoto lens then choosing to use a wider aperture –like f/5.6 is often a good choice as it will allow you more shutter speed or it will allow you to use less ISO. If, however, you are close to your subject using a telephoto lens and you are filling the frame with your subject you will need to stop down (choose a smaller aperture) in order to capture sharper detail over a greater area.

It is also important to understand how distance from subject to background will affect your image and most especially the background. If your subject is far away from the background then it is quite easy to create an image with a blurred out background. The problems start when your subject is set closely against the background; creating a pleasing, blurred background in these situations will be problematic at best especially if you choose to use a small aperture.

When photographing in the snow with cloudy or overcast skies you will most likely need to add between 1 1/3 stops of light and 2 1/3 stops of light (or even more in some situations) to the meter reading off the snow in order to avoid having the snow look grey. I always expose to the right (ETTR). To expose to the right means to have information in the 5th box on the right side of the histogram for Canon users and the fourth box of the histogram for Nikon users. If you are not sure if you have the best exposure I suggest taking a test shot and checking your histogram to see that you have some information in the fifth box and check for blinkies (flashing highlights). Be sure to enable the Highlight Alert feature on your camera's menu so that you will be able to see flashing highlights on your LCD screen. If you have blinkies then you will need to back off of the exposure by using less exposure compensation when working in AV mode or adjusting the shutter speed, aperture or ISO when working in manual mode.

For the shot above there simply was not enough light in the early morning to acquire focus so I had to rely completely on focusing manually. It wasn't long until autofocus was able to pick up the birds. To help it along, I pre-focused on a tree that was about at the same distance as the landing birds. That helped a lot with acquiring focus. Between the snow and low light the contrast was at an absolute minimum; many of my images looked like whitewash on the back of my camera. It wasn’t until I set my black and white points in post processing that I could even see my true images.

I hope that reading through this you get a sense of what I am doing in the field. I encourage you to get out there and give these tips a try.

My Japan workshop has just finished up and I am back in Jersey, but only for a few days as I fly to Norway for my first Northern Lights-Norway workshop in Lofoten. Paul and I had a very nice group of talented photographers. They all seemed to get along well and I look forward to seeing them all again. Our guides were on point once again, making sure that every one of our needs were met. In addition to the outstanding photo opportunities we ate some fantastic food!

Our first stop was at the monkey park before heading to Hokkaido. In Hokkaido, we photographed Red-crowned crane, Whooper Swan and Steller’s sea eagles in Rausu. Our guides took us to photograph 2 of the most adorable Ural Owls, a single gorgeous Eso Red Fox and much more. In addition to our regular schedule we scouted a couple of new photography spots during our trip. They both worked out quite well so they will be added to our main itinerary for our 2020 Japan in Winter Photo Tour. If you’d like to join me, you can find out more about the workshop here. One of the locations was a secret beach, it was much better than the Jewelry Ice Beach that we visited last year. There were lots and lots of larger chunks of ice on the beach. Also, we shot at a new spot for fighting eagles on a frozen lake that turned out to be a lot of fun.

This year I worked on some tighter shots as I brought along my Canon 600mm II lens with my Canon 1.4 and 2x teleconverters and got in extremely close for some nice high-key images. I also concentrated on more landscapes instead of just birds in flight since I have so many already.

We didn’t have white out conditions this year but we did have a snow day at the monkey park and it snowed twice for the cranes. Our early morning Lake Kussharo visits were fun and we also had a chance to do some evening shots with the swans; the entire group loved that—including me.

It’s funny how on my very first visit to Japan I felt a bit homesick while I was there. Now, each time I leave, I can’t wait for my return visit. Below are some of my favorite shots from the trip. You can see my entire Japan photo gallery HERE.

My new “About This Shot Series” will include a narative on how and also why I captured the shot. I am always being asked if I could go into more detail and give more information on how I got the shot or my thought process as I was photographing. In this series, I will try to go into as much detail as possible. I will do this series as long as there is interest. If no one comments or shows interest, I‘ll stop posting them, so it is really up to you if you find value in these posts or not.

Since my new blog went live, I have had lots of emails telling me of the difficulties of signing in to comment, I have disabled this requirement, but you will still need to add your name-even if all the other fields show-just add your name and hit comment, it should go through.

Now onto the shot…

This shot above, though photographed in Swakopmund, Namibia from a small chartered boat originated in the Galapagos-well at least the concept of the shot did. Several years ago while co-leading my second Galapagos trip I photographed an abstract of wet Frigatebird feathers just after a light rain. The colors of the feathers had an iridescent quality to them. The flow of the feathers appealed to me as well, so I shot them with my Canon 300mm, f/2.8 II lens. That lens was an important piece of gear that day as it gave me the close magnification along with the minimum focusing distance needed to create the image. Nowadays, I can use my Canon 100-400mm II lens, so my trusty 300mm has been shelved for the most part.

That close-up Frigatebird feather abstract won the “Art in Nature” category in the prestigious Nature's Best Photography Competition-2015. While photographing the feathers I did feel that it was a special image. My group was photographing a young chick that was in the trees keeping dry, by the time any of them came over, the bird flew off. See the image below.

Frigatebird Feathers, Galapagos, 2015

After viewing both images you can kind of see the similarities. There are great differneces too, the first image has a more peaceful, quiet tone while the bright colors of the second image set a much stronger and bolder tone. The flow of the feathers are really important when doing a close-up. Having a willing subject is equally important. I spent time gaining the trust of the Frigatebird in the Galapagos but the Great White Pelican was a very willing, begging bird. Those pelicans hang on the docks looking for fish hand outs and they come right up to you. I was able to capture the full frame shot above very easily, however getting the flow of the feathers just right took several attempts-say at least 30 shots.

I was recently in Greece photographing the Dalmatian Pelicans, they are slightly larger than the White Pelican. We had one of the White Pelicans with beautiful peach colored feathers photo bomb us everyday until it took over the show! The feathers on both of these birds are off the chart special and going in tight for close-ups is always rewarding to me.

Dalmatian Pelican, Greece , 2016

Great White Pelican blur, using a slow shutter speed of 1/6sec. I panned my camera slightly.

I fell in love with this Japanese Macaque while photographing her at the Snow Monkey Park in Japan. She could not keep her eyes open, no matter how hard she tried. This shot was from our first day—yesterday. Day 2 today and all is well. Paul and I have a great group of photogs and we have one more day with these beautiful creatures before heading to Hokkaido!

I’ll post more images from the trip as time allows. But for now, I am going to take a nap myself. I’m bushed.

The 2020 Namibia - A Creative Adventure Photo-Safari: April 19- May 3, 2020 (14 nights): $8999., dbl occupncy. Limit: 10 photographers/ 7 spots open. To see my images from Namibia CLICK HERE. This will be my last trip to Namibia for awhile.

The Itinerary:

Day 1: April 19, Fly into Windhoek (Hosea Kutako International Airport, airport code WDH. Spend the night. Early departure to QuiverTree Forest Lodge on the outskirts of Keetmanshoop.

Day 2 QuiverTree Forest, Keetmanshoop - Here we will be able to photograph the iconic Quiver Trees. Night photography instruction will be provided. In addition, we will let you know in advance what lenses and accessories you will need for Milky Way and night photography.

Day 3 and 4 Kolmanskop (Ghost Town) 2 Nights here we will photograph the abandoned ghost town of Kolmanskop. This is a photographer’s dream come true with sand filled doorways and light flowing in from broken windows, etc….

Day 5, 6, 7, 8 we will stay at the Sossusvlei Dune Lodge for 2 nights inside Namib Naukluft National Park and 2 nights at a different lodge to take advantage of optional helicopter rides. The distance to Sossusvlei from Kolmanskop is about 550km and the trip should take about 7 hours. Thanks to our experienced guides we will enjoy unparalleled afterhours access to dead tree scenics at Dead Vlei. Arrangements have been made to leave the lodge in the mornings an hour before sunrise to capture the best possible lighting conditions. We will be visiting Dead Vlei and Dune 45. There is a fairly strenuous up-and-down hike to some of the best photo locations that should take really fit folks about 15-20 minutes and as much as 45 minutes depending on how slow or fast you walk.

At Sossusvlei two desert systems come together: the beautiful red dunes of the Kalahari Desert and the breathtakingly stark Namib Desert. The desert experience is a surreal and life-changing one and even the best images do not reflect the amazing beauty of these unique deserts. Deadvlei, with its ancient trees in the now dried up lake, is a feast for photographers who are looking for something stark, different, and dramatic. Along with the spectacular landscapes we should get to photograph some wildlife as well with chances for Oryx and Springbok among others.

Day 9, 10, 11 From Sossusvlei we head off to Swakopmund to spend 3 nights at Swakopmund. One morning will head into the dunes to target species such as the Desert Chameleon and Palmato Gecko. We will spend time photographing the amazing bird life in and around the Walvisbay area. The Salt Mine and bay area is especially productive with a huge selection of waders and other waterfowl along with large numbers of flamingoes. We will enjoy one chartered boat trip to target pelicans in flight.

Day 12, 13, 14 We will spend 3 Nights at Okuakuejo Camp, Etosha. Okaukuejo Camp is famous for its large floodlit waterhole, the hub of animal activity especially in the early morning and early evening hours. We will see and photograph many species including and especially the endangered Black Rhino. There will be game drives during the day and we will likely see Lion, Giraffe, Elephant, etc...

Day 15 May 3rd, we make the 4-5 hour drive back to Windhoek in time for your international flights. Flights home should be made after 3:00pm.

This tour includes:- All accommodation- All transfers & travels in Namibia- All Breakfast & Dinners- Bottled water in the vehicles- Snacks on the vehicles (Dried fruit, Nuts etc)- WiFi in the Vehicles where there is cellular connection- All park fees- Charter boat in Walvisbay for our group only- Private desert tour for chameleons and other creatures while in Swakopmund- Ghost Town photo permits

This tour excludes:- All alcohol and soft drinks- Excursions other than in the itinerary such as optional helicopter flights in Sossusvlei- Gratuities- Expenses of a personal nature

I will need a $3000 non-refundable deposit by pushing the “Deposit button” in order to hold your spot. The second payment of $3,000 is due on June 15, 2019 and the final payment of $2,999 is due on Nov. 1, 2019. All payments except for the deposit must be paid via check only, made out to “Denise Ippolito LLC”. Overseas folks can pay their balances via wire transfer; the registrant is responsible for the fees on both ends. Sorry, there are no discounts given to non-photographer spouses for this trip.

Travel Insurance- I urge everyone to purchase travel insurance for a major trip like this.

Please be sure to check your calendar carefully and to check out my Workshop Policy Page.

Note: Purchasing travel insurance is strongly recommended.

*A single supplement is available for most of the trip, excluding 2 days and is $1750.00 additional.

*A detailed information sheet will be sent upon sign up. This trip needs a minimum of 8, please don’t purchase your airfare ubtil I let you know we are good to go.

On one of my visits to the Falkland Islands back in 2015; I did a land-based trip with a small group as opposed to a large sea voyage. After flying into Stanley which is the capital of the Falklands we made arrangements to travel via air to the different islands within the archipelago. Among our stops was Bleaker Island, Bleaker is home to a very large colony of Imperial Shags (aka Imperial Cormorant, Blue-eyed Cormorant, King Cormorant). These shags are monogamous and will share brooding and feeding duties. The chicks are born without down and are completely reliant on their parents.

The nesting season can be a very strenuous time for these birds; especially when food is scarce. During this time the pairs are busy tidying up or rebuilding their nests. I watched as shags flew in and dropped off huge bundles of sticks and grass only to have their neighbors steal them when they turned their backs. It was fun behavior to watch as some birds never did figure out what was happening.

While we were at Bleaker in November, I was able to get a front row seat at the large colony to photograph the shags during this peak time. These breeding communities are sometimes a bit cramped; it is not unusual for squabbles to arise on a daily basis. Most quarrels are settled after a few solid pecks but some may have dire consequences as shags are extremely territorial.

One day there was a large uproar within the colony. A shag was wandering around the colony looking for a new nest or mate, I wasn’t sure which. I watched as bird after bird viciously attacked it, most showing no mercy. It was gruesome to say the least, blood was everywhere. I honestly thought that one of the attacks would result in death but amazingly this lone shag made its way out of the colony only to shake it off.

Over the years I have had several opportunities to observe the interaction of these seasonal breeders. It isn’t enough that they have to ward off predators and endure horrific bouts of weather; they also have to survive territorial wars with each other. I have developed a deep respect and admiration for shags and their ability to fledge their young.

This Dalmatian Pelican is from my recent workshop in Greece. To capture the shot I got down really low so that I would have a more intimate view. The water was an ugly gloomy color but the feathers blowing in the wind caught my eye. I played around with the image in Photoshop and added a couple of textures to it and also added a bit of Topaz Glow to the pelican. It was lots of fun to create.

For more information on creative effects for your images, check out one of my latest eBooks. HERE.

My Dalmatian Pelican Photo Workshop is coming to a close. I had the very best group of talented, hard working photographers ever and we were blessed with excellent conditions. Our guides were fantastic-as always! We had many different photographic situations, as well as lighting conditons that allowed us to create a nice variety of work. On one of our days we took a trip to Bulgaria and had a beautiful lunch at a very nice, quaint restaurant; BTW, the cappucino was delish and I had two cups!

We spent time at Lake Kerkini, photographing from both the shore and from small fishing boats. We worked on pleasing blurs, fisheye images, flight shots, portraits and so much more--it was sheer overload. On our only rainy afternoon we spent time doing image review, Photoshop, texturing, slide programs and a processing jam session.

Below are a few of my faves from the trip. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed captruing them. Click on the images for more info and to see a larger version. I’ll be sharing more as time permits.

Vietnam Photo Tour ~ 2020, May 12- May 24th (12 nights): $6200. Double Occupancy-Limit: 8/ 4 spots availableJoin me for my second adventure to Vietnam. I am very excited to share this fantastic photo opportunity with everyone. My guide Son, will be joining me again as I explore even more of what Vietnam has to offer. Son is an award winning photographer who was born in Vietnam and shares his love and knowledge of his country freely. He speaks English and will be on hand to assist us every step of the way. This second trip will also include a chance to photograph the endangered Red Shanked Doucs and a fishing village with nets and basket weaving.

Itinerary

Day 1 -Tues

12 May - Saigon – arrival [-/-/d]

Meet up with our professional photo guide on arrival in Saigon / Tan Son Nhat International airport, transfer to hotel for check in.

Group Transfer Time 12 :00Noon$20.00 transfer fee pp if not part of the group transfer at noon.

Note: Check-in time: 14:00 pm

Enjoy free time. Welcome dinner at hotel.

(If time permits, we will photograph a traffic jam in Saigon city)

Overnight at hotel in Saigon

Day 2 – Wed

13 May -Saigon full day city tour [b/l/d]

Hotel breakfast

We’ll photograph one of the largest post office’s in Indochina in the early morning, A Catholic church that was built by the French in the 18th century in Saigon, Then, we will photograph monks and nuns at the university where they both study and have lunch together in Binh Chanh District.

Back to Saigon center to have lunch at the local restaurant.

At 14:00pm, we’ll photograph the monks and the Buddhist followers to pray inside the pagoda in Saigon. Next, we’ll photograph one of the traffic jams in Saigon before having dinner at the BATALIS restaurant.

After dinner, our guide will take us back to the hotel.

Overnight at hotel in Saigon

Day 3 – Thu

14 May - Saigon – Hue [b/l/d]

Breakfast boxes will be arranged by the hotel in Saigon

Leave Saigon for Hue with early morning flight.

Flight: TBA [approx. 06:15-07:40]

Arrive in Hue city and transfer to hotel for check-in, before going to shoot the models inside the Imperial Citadel.

Note: Check-in time: 14:00 pm

Lunch at local restaurant.

If time permits, we can photograph the models at the Tu Duc Tomb.

After shooting, dinner will be served at a local restaurant before coming back the hotel.

Overnight at hotel in Hue

Day 4 - Fri

15 May - Hue - Danang [b/l/d]

Hotel breakfast

Check out to leave Hue for Da Nang by bus.

Shoot the fishermen with the big nets on their small boats.

Depart from Hue for Danang via the picturesque Hai Van Pass (Pass of the Ocean Clouds) moving through many pretty red-tiled villages and enjoying a spectacular view of the sea and the sky.

We will see big fishing nets on the way.

On arrival in Da Nang, our lunch will be served at a local restaurant in Da Nang city before checking into the hotel.

We will photograph the Red-shanked douc monkeys on Son Tra Island in the afternoon.

Dinner at a local restaurant in Danang city before coming back the hotel.

Overnight at hotel in Danang city

Day 5 - Sat

16 May - Danang – Hoi An [b/l/d]

Hotel breakfast

We will once again, photograph the Red-shanked douc monkeys on Son Tra island. After shooting, You are going to leave Da Nang for Hoi An-an old town by bus, just takes 1 hour. (Check-out time at noon: 12:00)

On arrival in Hoi An, we are going to have lunch at the DAO TIEN restaurant before checking into the hotel. (Check-in time: 14:00 pm)

After check in and a short rest at the hotel. We will take a boat trip on Thu Bon river for shooting fisherman with big nets at the sunset in the late afternoon

Back to Hoi An center to photograph lanterns which the local people make and sell.

Dinner will be at the TAM TAM CAFErestaurant, then back to the hotel.

Overnight at hotel in Hoi An

Day 6 – Sun

17 May -Hoi An - time at leisure [b/l/d]

Hotel breakfast

This time is free for you to discover the ancient town on your own. (No vehicle, no tour).

Lunch and Dinner at hotel.

Overnight at hotel in Hoi An

Day 7 – Mon

18 May -Hoi an – Danang – Hanoi [b/l/d]

Hotel breakfast

You will wake up early morning to take pictures at the colourful, local market and will be back to the hotel for breakfast. And visit the local merchant house were built more than 200 years ago. The Chinese temple where the first Chinese ancestor arrived in Vietnam.

Free time at the hotel to pack up your stuff before going to the airport in Da Nang for our afternoon flight to Saigon (the flight takes 1 hour but we must be at the airport 2 hours in advance). (Check-out time at noon: 12:00)

Lunch at the BROTHER CAFE restaurant in Hoi An then proceed to the airport.

Flight: TBA [approx. 17:15-18:35]

On arrival in Hanoi city, you will be picked up and transfered to a local restaurantfor dinner before check in. (Check-in time: 14:00 pm)

Overnight at hotel in Hanoi

Day 8 - Tue

19 May - Hanoi – Halong [b/l/d]

Breakfast at hotel

Hotel pick up in Hanoi and transfer east to Halong (approx. 4- hour driving). Upon arrival in Halong Bay, board your boat for an unforgettable cruise. Welcome seafood lunch on board. Cruise in Halong bay visiting some islands and caves. Possibility of kayaking (optional) around some nice beaches. Late afternoon, admire the sunset over the bay, enjoy happy hour on the bar deck or attend a cooking demonstration.

WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED • International airfare to/from Vietnam • Any meal other than listed above. All meals are pre-planned; please let us know your dietary restrictions. • Vietnamese visa • Personal insurance • ALL beverages with the exception of 2 bottles of water provided daily, laundry • Early check-in or late check-outs • Tip for guide and drivers-- approximately $250pp

Single Supplement:Single supplements are available for the entire trip (except for the one night at Halong Bay) and will be available on a first come first served basis. Single supplements must be paid in full at time of registration. Single supplement charge: $1300.00

Deposit Info:

A $2000.00 deposit is required to hold your spot for this tour. All final payments should be made via check made out to "Denise Ippolito LLC". Wire transfers accepted from overseas participants and participant is responsible for all transaction fees on both sides. All tour deposits are non -refundable, please check your schedule closely before making your deposit. Credit cards will only be accepted for deposit payment only. All other payments must be made by check or wire transfer.

Trip insurance is highly recommended for all trips. A detailed PDF file will be sent to all participants once we get our entire group together. Please do not purchase airfare until I let you know that the trip is a go.

*Prices are subject to change in case of VAT or other tax increase.

In case there should be a major change (5% or above) in the exchange rates between the Vietnam Dong and the USD, (presently around VND 22,000 per USD), the tour company reserves the right to correct quotations in line with the revised value of the USD.

Mai Tong is the “Best in Show” winner of the Longwood Gardens Themed Images, below in her own words is a small glimpse into her world, thank you Mai, your words and images are both sensitive and beautiful. Please click on the individual images to see a larger view.

﻿For as long as I can remember, I have loved everything that speaks in a quiet tone: a single object on a vast canvas, a face lost in a crowd, a bird wandering off her flock, a lone tree on a deserted meadow, a wilting flower, the boundary of the blueness between the sky and the sea, the ghost note between the musical notes, a muted percussion ... and most of all: the silence of a sunset. A love for anything that defies articulation and offers a sense of peace.

I was born and grew up in the shadow of a war that ripped our country in two. Peace was a concept uncertain and distant in an ancient city that was hung over and disturbed by the sound of cannon mixed with the sound of temple bells at night. War was so close to home. That was Hue, the Imperial City in Central Vietnam where childhood memories turned into immense graveyards, haunted by gruesome images of mass graves of thousands of innocents died in fierce battles. Peace then existed only in prayers at night.

Many years after the war had ended, I started to pick up camera and started taking photos when I was still a refugee in the U.S. I have loved to photograph anything that gives a sense of peacefulness since then, when you can hush the thoughts in your mind, be with the moment and one with the subject you are photographing. I love the setting sun, it gives me that sense of complete stillness and silence. I chase after sunsets wherever I travel. I own thousands of images of sunsets from many places I've been to. It's a saddening feeling for something fading away, yet it offers the hope of a new dawn.

I also love to photograph children, little Buddhist monks, especially those in remote regions of Vietnam, poor and removed from modern civilization. I could follow them tirelessly just to be able to catch a smile on their faces. Sometimes, I made trips after trips back home just to look for them, for the ones that I had met in previous trips. I often saw them in my sleep, these sad, voiceless faces.

A confession if I may about the photographers I admire: I've hardly had time to contemplate other people's work, but I've followed the work of Steve McCurry and Denise Ippolito the past two years when I started to take photography seriously. I found that Denise's is built on a precept of simplicity, elegance and grace, a sweetness almost like a lullaby; and McCurry's compelling imagery is a loud and clear sense of human compassion.

Dear Denise, I'm sorry for these fragmentary pieces from my mind today. It's hard to write about oneself and I could not put the pieces together as coherently as I would like. I'm sending images I took mostly from Vietnam and Myanmar. I kept coming back to Vietnam even though there are many spectacular places in the world that are the dream of photographers, but I am only happy and feel connected when I am in my homeland, speaking the same language with the people and with the scenery there. It was the closest and most emotional photographic experience I got through the camera lens. The innocent faces of the children in the highlands, the toothless smiles of old ladies, even the sound of temple bells in the evening sun can be captured by using just light and color. Those are the images I could never find anywhere else in the other parts of the world.

Mai Tong

My blog, where I keep my writings, travel memoirs, photography, poetry, music and film reviews:

Once the holiday decorations are put away and all of the misfits are returned— things start to go back to normal for many of us. I for one, am looking forward to- NOT seeing holiday cookies and chocolates for another year! I think my hips will be equally as happy once the withdrawals are over.

It's time to start thinking about the year ahead. Time to plan out my calendar and start a fresh, clean slate! Each year I try to set a goal for myself, for example, one year I vowed to visit as many National Parks and hike as many trails in each park as possible. I filled a walking cane with hiking metals from each of the NP's that I visited.

Another year, my goal was to go on as many cruises as I could with my sister-we did 12 that year and I am so glad that I spent that time with her and saw so much of the world, though I have no desire to ever cruise again... One year I decided to see as many concerts as I could, I saw just about every concert possible that year and had a blast doing so. I have such great memories from that year; it did cost me a fortune... but still no regrets!!

I need to think about this year and my journey. I need to focus on what I’ll try to accomplish or do, that will make me happy for many years to come. La de da de de, la de da de da.

Everywhere I go I see some of the most bizarro things. The image below captured at Zabriski Point in Death Valley NP, I am calling it “Blind Faith”, is it art? or are you kidding me? you decide. Please share your thoughts below in the comment line rather than email me separately, thanks.

When my group and I got out to the mudflats we saw this couple flying around in this aerochute . Though, the image depicts them flying over what looks like some dirt and brush they were mostly flying over Panamint Springs Mud Flats, landing every so often. Their tire tracks are now embedded in the mudflats for many years to come. Fun or careless? you decide?

I didn’t bother to process these images, aside from a crop and signature. For results of the Longwoods Garden Contest check out my comment in the previous post!

During my Longwood Gardens Christmas Seminar/Workshop, participants were given three themes to work on during their time at Longwood Gardens. The themes included: Interaction, Bold Contrast and Asian Flair. So everyone had their work cut out for them. They needed to share an image that portrays “interaction”. Share an image that shows bold/contrast or geometric shapes and finally an image that showed an asian flair to it.

I am attaching everyone’s (that sent images in) themed images and hope that you can help me choose a clear winner for each of the three themed categories. Who did the best with each theme??? Please vote in the comment section below for the image that you feel best portray’s each theme. One vote per person for each theme. Plus a Best in Show winner. So technically 4 votes! Make sure that you specify the theme and name of the maker as well as the Best in Show vote! Each Theme winner will recieve my newest eBook “The Creative Art of Photography”.

Best in Show winner will recieve a full write up on my blog about their photography and will be able to share more of their work in that post with a link to their website or FaceBook page. They will also recieve a $200.00 credit towards any one of my workshops. I sure hope you will be able to take a moment and vote - thank you so much!!

denise

PS- Click on the images to see the actual images as shot not cropped for blog format.

I am getting packed up to leave Death Valley NP after back to back workshops here. It has been a unique visit with all of the government shut downs and road closures. My friend Michael and I were forced to scout new “photo areas” during the afternoon between shoots. I say “photo areas” because while some places are beautiful to look at or are nice to see they may not make a great photo or even be a place to bring a group, there are lots of things to consider… As the days went on, more and more closures were happening and we needed to fill in our regular schedule with new areas that would work for either a sunset or sunrise shoot or even to fill in between. I am delighted to say that these road closures forced us to dig deeper to find new spots to get the group to. These images below reflect some of the new areas that will be added to next year’s trip and some of the photos that I captured during our regular program photo shoots.

When I get home I will need to start packing for my Greece trip. I am extremely excited to see old friends and photograph the beautiful Dalmatian Pelicans at Lake Kerkini!

The above image was captured at Badwater Basin Salt Flat during my Death Valley National Park -group #1 workshop. The park did close a few areas within the park and that is always disappointing but for the most part my first group was blessed with good light, conditions and photo opportunities. The image above reflects that.

The person in this image walked right out in front of me while I was waiting for the sunburst at sundown. Instead of getting mad and worrying about it I went with the flow and used her/him as a model within the frame. I enhanced the sunburst in Luminar. Looks like I need to fix the image with a lens correction tweak-sorry, I’ll do that later.

One of the sand dunes in the park has some beautiful textured areas and I like to create unique images by using multiple patterns and lines. Soft light can be effective for this look. More examples of using soft light and lines are shown below. It’ important when creating abstract like the one directly below that the lines and image flow are cohesive.

Within this section of the mountain I found this heart that reminded me of a Georgia O'Keeffe painting. As the sun set and the sky lit up with hot pink I zoomed out and created a wider shot. I’ve always been inspired by O’Keeffe’s work and life and wanted to pay homage to her in some small way.

Last light on the last night of our trip. I created a semi-silhouette. My next group shot this morning and I will be sharing more images from my trip shortly. Hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed capturing them, Please leave a comment below by clicking on the word “comment” thanks so much.